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Alfred Wade Boykin is an American psychology professor known for his work in the field of education. He is a member of the faculty of Howard University. He has made contributions to the study of academic discrepancies between African American children and Caucasian children. Through his work at the Capstone Institute at Howard University he has created plans for implementations of educational reform. [1]
Boykin completed his undergraduate work at Hampton University, graduating in 1968. He went on to get his M.A. and PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Michigan. [2]
After obtaining his PhD from the University of Michigan, Boykin became an associate professor at Cornell where he gained tenure. In 1994, Boykin took a job at Howard University. From 1994 to 2004 he was the co-director of the National Center for Research on the Education of Students (now called Capstone). Capstone is devoted to researching and implementing school reform and improvement. These plans are based upon the Talent Development model of schooling. [2] After concluding his service to Capstone, Boykin remained at Howard as a professor and director of the graduate psychology program. He was also a fellow at the Institute for Comparative Human Cognition and an adjunct associate professor in the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, both at Rockefeller University. [3] He was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences for a year and was called as a member of the Emergency Commission on Urban Children. He was a member of a National Academy of Education panel and an American Educational Research Association panel. [2] He was also co-director of the Task Force on the Relevance of the Social Sciences to the Black Experience at Yale University. [3] Additionally, he was a member of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel during President George H. W. Bush's term. [4] On this panel he advised the President and Secretary of Education on issues regarding effective mathematic instruction. He is a member of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Educational Disparities, a panel member for the National Minority Student Achievement Network, a board member for Project Grad USA, and a member of multiple editorial boards. [3]
Boykin has done research on education and has taken part in panels and task forces nationwide. This research has occurred during his years at Howard, particularly during his time as a faculty member in the Capstone Institute. The Capstone Institute was established in 1994 for the purpose of expanding the resources available to aid in school reform and to provide assistance in these reforms. [5] The Talent Quest Model of education is a further development of Boykin's concept of the Talent Development Model. Both of these models emphasize the idea that every student can attain academic success as long as he or she is supported properly. [5] The Talent Quest Model has four major pillars: overdetermined success, integrity-based ethos, multiple expected outcomes, and co-construction. Overdetermined success refers to implementing improvement activities and programs in multiple areas of education, which combine to benefit schooling in a way that no single program could. Integrity-based ethos focuses on being respectful and appreciative of the students' backgrounds and past experiences. Multiple expected outcomes refers to quantifying success by measures other than test scores. Co-construction is the practice of ensuring that these programs are tailored to individual schools. [5] Boykin has researched different aspects of the Talent Quest Model and found support for them. For example, "The effects of movement expressiveness in story content and learning context on the analogical reasoning performance of African American children" (2001) and "The comparative influence of individual, peer tutoring, and communal learning contexts on the text recall of African American children" (2000) were both studies that provided support for specific aspects of the Talent Quest Model. Additionally, Boykin contributed to "Intelligence: knowns and unknowns" (1996) which was a paper commissioned by the American Psychological Association to respond to the book the Bell Curve, a book that argued for the genetic basis of intelligence. The publication of the book resulted in a great deal of debate. In order to facilitate productive, non-politicized conversation about the topic, the APA assembled a task force to assess the facts about intelligence. [6] The paper addressed existing theories on intelligence, how it can be tested, what intelligence test scores have been shown to correlated with, the relationship of genetics to intelligence, the relationship of the environment to intelligence, and group differences in scores. [6] From their review of the literature, the task force asserted that while genetics and the environment are the two most prominent deciding factors in intelligence, very little is truly known about how these factors go about shaping intelligence. Additionally, they stated that the genetic hypothesis (as used in the Bell Curve) does not explain the intelligence test score differences between racial groups. Boykin also collaborated on studies combining culture and education, two such studies were "In search of cultural themes and their expressions in the dynamics of classroom life" (2005) and "Culture in the sanctioned classroom practices of elementary school teachers serving low-income African American students" (2006).
In addition to combining culture and education in his studies, Boykin also studies culture on its own. Boykin is interested in researching and developing appreciation for African American culture. Two of these studies are "Examining cultural socialization within African American and European American households" (2008) and "Communalism: conceptualization and measurement of an Afrocultural social orientation" (1997). In addition to general studies of culture, Boykin also studies the impact of culture on attitudes. "Culture-based perceptions of academic achievement among low-income elementary students" (2005) is one such study in which Boykin examines the mediating effect of cultural learning orientations on opinions of academic achievement. This work takes on the task of arguing with those who claim that African American students have negative attitudes towards academic achievement. [7] The study involved low-income African American and Caucasian fifth grade students. The students were given a scenario in which academic achievement occurred, each scenario represented a different learning orientation: individualistic, competitive, verve, or communal. The children were then asked questions that evaluated their attitudes towards the scenarios. [7] Boykin and his colleagues found that African-American students supported academic achievement in the scenarios that represented the orientations of verve and communalism. These same students held negative perspectives when the academic achievement occurred through competitive or individualistic means. [7] Previous findings have asserted that African American children have negative views of academic achievement, this study shows that these views are not of the achievement itself, but of the means by which it is attained. Additionally, this study demonstrates how pervasive cultural learning orientations are in the lives of children. Boykin and his colleagues go onto assert that integrating communal and verve orientations into public schools might be a good way to make African American children feel more positive about academic achievement. [7] This study captures the type of research and contributions that Boykin puts forth; he assesses the problem and makes suggestions to remedy it.
Boykin has also conducted studies on specific methods and constructs, particularly those used in educational research. "Analysis of complexity preference in Head Start nursery school children" (1971) is a study that examines the meaning of findings regarding children's choice of more complex stimulus, which is a factor that was used in studies of the efficacy of the Jump Start program. [8] Similarly, Boykin questioned the role of context in standardized testing in a 1977 study. [9]
Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in intelligence, cognitive development, affect, motivation, self-regulation, and self-concept, as well as their role in learning. The field of educational psychology relies heavily on quantitative methods, including testing and measurement, to enhance educational activities related to instructional design, classroom management, and assessment, which serve to facilitate learning processes in various educational settings across the lifespan.
Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming. It is thought to persist as a trait into adult life, with various consequences studied in longitudinal studies of giftedness over the last century. There is no generally agreed definition of giftedness for either children or adults, but most school placement decisions and most longitudinal studies over the course of individual lives have followed people with IQs in the top 2.5 percent of the population—that is, IQs above 130. Definitions of giftedness also vary across cultures.
School psychology is a field that applies principles from educational psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, community psychology, and behavior analysis to meet the learning and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents. It is an area of applied psychology practiced by a school psychologist. They often collaborate with educators, families, school leaders, community members, and other professionals to create safe and supportive school environments.
Achievement gaps in the United States are observed, persistent disparities in measures of educational performance among subgroups of U.S. students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures, including standardized test scores, grade point average, dropout rates, college enrollment, and college completion rates. The gap in achievement between lower income students and higher income students exists in all nations and it has been studied extensively in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.K. Various other gaps between groups exist around the globe as well.
This is an index of education articles.
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original research on ways of teaching and learning music. Music education scholars publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals, and teach undergraduate and graduate education students at university education or music schools, who are training to become music teachers.
Julian Cecil Stanley was an American psychologist. He was an advocate of accelerated education for academically gifted children. He founded the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY), as well as a related research project, the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), whose work has, since 1980, been supplemented by the Julian C. Stanley Study of Exceptional Talent (SET), which provides academic assistance to gifted children. Stanley was also widely known for his classic book, coauthored with Donald Campbell, on the design of educational and psychological research - Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Research.
The big-fish–little-pond effect (BFLPE) is a frame of reference model introduced by Herbert W. Marsh and John W. Parker in 1984. According to the model, individuals compare their own self-concept with their peers and equally capable individuals have higher self-concepts when in a less capable group than in a more capable group. For example, it is better for academic self-concept to be a big fish in a little pond than to be a big fish in a big pond. High achieving and gifted students are just as susceptible to the effect as are less talented students indicating that the effect depends only on the achievement of the reference group. Malcolm Gladwell publicized the BFLPE in his 2013 book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
Evolutionary educational psychology is the study of the relation between inherent folk knowledge and abilities and accompanying inferential and attributional biases as these influence academic learning in evolutionarily novel cultural contexts, such as schools and the industrial workplace. The fundamental premises and principles of this discipline are presented below.
John Uzo Ogbu was a Nigerian-American anthropologist and professor known for his theories on observed phenomena involving race and intelligence, especially how race and ethnic differences played out in educational and economic achievement. He suggested that being a "caste-like minority" affects motivation and achievement, depressing IQ scores. He also concluded that some students did poorly because high achievement was considered "acting white" among their peers. Ogbu was also involved in the 1996 controversy surrounding the use of African American Vernacular English in public schools in Oakland, California. The 2000 book Eminent Educators: Studies in Intellectual Influence focused on him as one of "four intellectual giants of the 20th century."
Asa G. Hilliard III, also known as Nana Baffour Amankwatia II, was an African-American professor of educational psychology who worked on indigenous ancient African history, culture, education and society. He was the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Education Policy Studies and the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education. Prior to his position at Georgia State, Hilliard served as the Dean of the School of Education at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California.
Edmund Wyatt Gordon is a professor of psychology who "had a tremendous influence on contemporary thinking in psychology, education and social policy and the implications of his work for the schooling of lower status youth and children of color in America".
Oppositional culture, also known as the "blocked opportunities framework" or the "caste theory of education", is a term most commonly used in studying the sociology of education to explain racial disparities in educational achievement, particularly between white and black Americans. However, the term refers to any subculture's rejection of conformity to prevailing norms and values, not just nonconformity within the educational system. Thus many criminal gangs and religious cults could also be considered oppositional cultures.
In psychology, grit is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal or end state. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie on the path to accomplishment and serves as a driving force in achievement realization. Distinct but commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include "perseverance", "hardiness", "resilience", "ambition", "need for achievement" and "conscientiousness". These constructs can be conceptualized as individual differences related to the accomplishment of work rather than talent or ability. This distinction was brought into focus in 1907 when William James challenged the field to further investigate how certain individuals are capable of accessing richer trait reservoirs enabling them to accomplish more than the average person, but the construct dates back at least to Francis Galton, and the ideals of persistence and tenacity have been understood as a virtue at least since Aristotle.
Black psychology, also known as African-American psychology and African/Black psychology, is a scientific field that focuses on how people of African descent know and experience the world. The field, particularly in the United States, largely emerged as a result of the lack of understanding of the psychology of Black people under traditional, Westernized notions of psychology. Overall, the field combines perspectives from both Black studies and traditional psychology encapsulating a range of definitions and approaches while simultaneously proposing its own framework of understanding.
Goal orientation, or achievement orientation, is an "individual disposition towards developing or validating one's ability in achievement settings". In general, an individual can be said to be mastery or performance oriented, based on whether one's goal is to develop one's ability or to demonstrate one's ability, respectively. A mastery orientation is also sometimes referred to as a learning orientation.
Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's degrees represent academic achievement.
John Henry Brodhead (1898–1951) was an African American pioneer in the field of psychology. He was an educator in the Philadelphia school system, known for his work in a number of movements and organizations which promoted Black education. He was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Brodhead and had two siblings, Frank and Annie. During the year of 1924, he married Fleta Marie Jones and together they had one daughter born on August 12, 1928.
The racial achievement gap in the United States refers to disparities in educational achievement between differing ethnic/racial groups. It manifests itself in a variety of ways: African-American and Hispanic students are more likely to receive lower grades, score lower on standardized tests, drop out of high school, and they are less likely to enter and complete college than whites, while whites score lower than Asian Americans.
Charles Henry Thompson was an American educational psychologist and the first African-American to earn a doctorate degree in educational psychology. He obtained a Master's degree and Ph.D at the University of Chicago. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he became an educator at Howard University. During his time at Howard, he was the dean of the liberal art college and later became the dean of Howard's graduate school, where he made several administrative and scholarship changes. Additionally, he founded The Journal of Negro Education, an academic journal pertaining to the education of African-American students. Thompson himself published more than 100 scholarly articles, editorials, and research papers, many of which pertained to the teaching and advancement of African-American students' education. Throughout his extensive academic career, he was a legal consultant for various desegregation school cases, prominently in Sweatt v. Painter, Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents. He also was a legal consultant for Brown vs. Board of Education, though to a lesser extent that the three former cases.
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